A Tale of Two Tigers

Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Charles Goliday getting ready to make a pass

Friday night the Caruthersville Tigers took on the Valle Warriors. In the first half, it looked as though the Warriors had a chair and whip, subduing the Tigers. In the second half, the Tigers knocked the whip out of the hands of the Warriors. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to completely subdue the Warriors. The Tigers were handed their first loss of the season by a score of 39-34.

The game started as Valle received the kickoff and made a steady march down field. Valle kept making progress with both passing and running, achieving the first touchdown of the game with 7:52 left in the first quarter. The Tigers made an attempt to return the favor, but the Warrior defenses forced the Tigers to turn the ball over on downs. After some back and forth action between the two teams the Warriors used a combination of passing and running to keep the Tigers chasing their tails. With 3:03 left in the quarter, the Warriors again scored on the Tiger defense. The Tigers were not giving in; there was a lot of back and forth between the two teams. The Warriors realized they could use the long pass over the heads of the Tiger defenders. The long passes allowed Valley to make a third touchdown just as the first quarter was ending. End of the first quarter saw the Tigers on the wrong side of a 20-0 score.

#22 GT Hayes pointing to cheering fans

The Tigers were not down. Tiger #11 Terrius Rodgers carried several Warriors down field in an attempt to gain much needed yardage. After this rally, several Tigers took part in short passes, and running gains as the Tigers made their way steadily downfield. With 10:11 left in the first half, the Tigers got on the board. The Tigers kicked-off allowing the Warriors to have a short field. After a couple pass attempts, a long completion took Valle near the end zone before a tackle by #22 GT Hays. The celebration was short lived as Valle was able to punch into the end zone on the next play. Again, the two teams went back and forth exchanging punts until Valle found a break in the Tiger defenses and again started their march downfield. The Warriors made use of long passes over the heads of the Tigers. The resulting touchdown, minus a successful extra point, made the score 33-7 Valle. With the success of the long pass, Valle again made use of their throwing game on their next possession. The Warriors were able to capitalize on the effects of this strategy by making a touchdown. Valle tried to make up for the two lost extra points earlier by attempting a two-point conversion, but failed. With 2:34 left in the half, Valle had a 39-7 lead over the Tigers. The Tigers managed to keep the Warriors at bay as the half ended, but also did not make any gains on the score before heading to the locker room.

The second half saw a renewed Tiger resolve. The Warriors may have been snapping the whip all through the first half, but the Tiger spirit was never broken. The Tigers roared onto the field as Quarterback Charles Goliday used the long pass against Valle and found his mark utilizing several receivers. Steadily moving the ball down field, the final push across the goal line was made by #21 Deandre Davis. With 8:14 left in the third quarter, the score was 39-14 Valle. The Tigers kick-off was deep. Valle to tried to continue their first half push, but the Tigers had a new spirit and would not let the tricks that worked during the first half get them in the second half. The Tigers kept Valle from advancing and took over after a Warrior punt. #6 Chris Smith took the Warriors punt and returned it 56 yards for a quick Tiger score. Tigers narrowed the difference to a 39-21 Valle lead.

Coach talking to team after game

The Tigers were not finished. After several back and forth exchanges of punting and turning over on downs, the fourth quarter saw the two teams battling for possession of the ball. Finally, the Tigers gained possession of the ball near the Warrior end zone after a final stop by a Tiger defender. The next play, Tiger quarterback, #3 Charles Goliday, found receiver, #5, Bryce Strawn, open. Strawn ran the past all the Valle defenders for a 92-yard touchdown. After the extra point, the Tigers narrowed the difference to 39-27 Valle. Again, the Tigers and Warriors exchanged the ball with punts. With the ball around mid-field, the Tigers took over. Using a combination of passes and running, the Tigers steadily moved the ball down field. The final push saw Goliday again throwing to Strawn for another touchdown. With the score 39-34 Valle and 4:51 left in the game, the Tigers were now within distance of a major comeback. Valle had other plans and put up a valiant fight keeping the Tigers out of the end zone as the game wound down. The final score was 39-34 Valle. The Tigers go 2-1 on the season.

Coach Jackson, when asked about the differences between the two halves said, “Just missed assignments first half, frustration on our part, and, you know, just not having the comradery we had last week in the first half. The second half we come out and settled down and decided to play as a team. That’s the difference.” He went on to say, “I was proud of how the guys went on to compete.”

Friday, September 8, the Tigers take on the Kennett Indians at Hoke Field, 7 p.m.